When she heard the key slide into the front door lock, Qiao Qingyu had just taken off her heavy cotton pants and tucked her cold feet under the blanket. The book in her hands was only on its fourth page when the sound of the door opening made her hold her breath. Someone had entered silently—not Ming Sheng.
She put the book down on the bedside table and got out of bed.
Knock knock, knock knock.
As the bedroom door was being knocked, a gentle girl’s voice came from the other side: “Qiao Qingyu? Are you in there?”
It was Wang Mumu. Qiao Qingyu let out a sigh of relief.
“Qiao Qingyu?”
“I’m here, just a moment.”
But Wang Mumu had already turned the doorknob. Opening the door to find Qiao Qingyu hurriedly putting on her cotton pants, she frowned imperceptibly.
“You don’t need to get up, it’s cold,” Wang Mumu closed the door and turned to Qiao Qingyu with a bright smile. “Did I startle you? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone where you are. A-Sheng told me everything, and I’ll keep the secret with him.”
Qiao Qingyu finished putting on her cotton pants, her face showing a complex expression of both gratitude and awkwardness.
“Last night A-Sheng told me you had a fever,” Wang Mumu sat down on the bed without ceremony. “Are you feeling better? It must be hard being out in this cold weather?”
“I’m much better now, thank you, Sister Mumu.”
“I brought you some heat packs,” Wang Mumu smiled. “Last night, A-Sheng told me everything—that he likes you and brought you back here.”
As if not noticing Qiao Qingyu’s embarrassed expression, she continued casually: “But I’m worried he won’t take good care of you, after all, he’s always been the one being pampered since childhood, never had to take care of others. I’m here to help fill in where he might fall short.”
Under her warm smile, Qiao Qingyu felt the words “thank you” were too light to match such golden kindness.
“Although I’m your senior at school, I admire you. My family is even more chaotic, but I never dared to just leave like you did. You’re naturally free-spirited, no wonder A-Sheng is attracted to you.”
For the first time, Qiao Qingyu learned that being praised could make one so uncomfortable they wanted to disappear.
“Sit down,” Wang Mumu patted the bed casually. “Don’t just stand there.”
After Qiao Qingyu sat down, she asked, “What are your plans now?”
“Leave Huan Prefecture.”
Wang Mumu let out a surprised “Oh.” “Where to?”
Qiao Qingyu shook her head gently. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“I think leaving Huan Prefecture is wise,” Wang Mumu nodded thoughtfully. “But you need to know where you’re going and how to get there. Your photos are everywhere now, your family is sparing no effort to find you.”
Her sincerity moved Qiao Qingyu deeply.
“But you need to leave soon because even Grandfather’s place isn’t safe anymore. Neighbors have already asked me why A-Sheng is here again,” Wang Mumu looked around, then changed the subject. “Do you know why I have a key?”
Qiao Qingyu shook her head.
“I’ve had a key to Grandfather’s house since I was little. He gave it to me,” Wang Mumu said. “When I was young, this place was like my second home.”
“Mm.”
“But that key couldn’t open the front door,” Wang Mumu smiled mysteriously but contentedly. “After Grandfather passed away, A-Sheng had a falling out with his family and changed the lock himself. Even his parents don’t have a key to this lock.”
“But you do.”
“Yes, he gave it to me,” Wang Mumu smiled gracefully. “I think it’s because he remembers what Grandfather said, about letting me treat this place as my second home. He won’t let me be homeless.”
“He’s kind.”
“If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have found you and risked being discovered to bring you home,” Wang Mumu sighed meaningfully. “I was quite surprised when he voluntarily told me you were here last night. But then I understood. He’s always liked playing the hero, and of course, he wants to show off in front of a girl he likes. It’s perfectly normal. Don’t let his wild behavior at school fool you—he rarely truly dislikes anyone, and easily shows kindness and goodwill to others, especially those he feels sorry for. Since childhood, he’s helped countless people! He particularly likes to stand up against injustice. With your terrible situation, it would be strange if he didn’t help you.”
Qiao Qingyu nodded in agreement but felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.
“You’re very lucky to have been found and brought home by A-Sheng,” Wang Mumu glanced at Qiao Qingyu. “Well, let me be frank. After A-Sheng told me he likes you last night, I’ve been worried, afraid he might do something immature and hurt you.”
“No, he’s been very,” Qiao Qingyu paused, “respectful.”
“The hurt I’m talking about isn’t like that, but rather,” Wang Mumu smiled awkwardly, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to resist his advances and fall into his hands. I’ve never seen him pursue a girl, but if he did, what girl wouldn’t say yes? What girl wouldn’t want to be his first love? It’s fine if he likes others, but liking you makes me worried.”
Qiao Qingyu felt even more uncomfortable, and confused at the same time, so she continued listening to Wang Mumu.
“I’m afraid he’ll bewitch you,” Wang Mumu looked at Qiao Qingyu earnestly. “For him, making a girl fall for him takes no effort at all—just standing there is enough. He brought you home and bought you food, I can hardly imagine your heart remaining unmoved. That’s what I’m afraid of. Boys like A-Sheng who love playing hero, their so-called love is often like fireworks—brilliant but brief, quickly vanishing without a trace. It will take many years after he’s had enough fun and matured before he can truly settle down. Too many girls like him, he faces too many temptations.”
Qiao Qingyu felt a thorn pressing against her chest, making her uncomfortable.
“Many girls who like A-Sheng have no shame, they don’t care if he’s faithful,” Wang Mumu frowned slightly. “What I’m afraid of is that once you take it seriously, he’ll change his heart, and then the one who gets hurt will be…”
“Sister Mumu,” Qiao Qingyu couldn’t help interrupting, “I understand.”
Wang Mumu looked apologetic: “I’m sorry, I’ve thrown cold water on you.”
Qiao Qingyu remained silent.
“I knew before I spoke that honest words would be hard to hear,” Wang Mumu smiled helplessly, then looked at her carefully. “I think the three of us—you, me, and A-Sheng—can become close friends who tell each other everything. Friendship is safer, friendship is eternal. What do you think?”
“I feel dizzy,” Qiao Qingyu stood up. “The room is too stuffy.”
She lifted the white gauze curtain and opened the window. The sound of rain suddenly grew louder, and the damp cold invaded her neck, making her sneeze several times in succession. To be honest, she was somewhat angry about Wang Mumu’s uninvited visit and these heartfelt words of advice. She most detested being lectured, especially under the pretext of good intentions. Yet she felt Wang Mumu was right. As Ming Sheng’s childhood friend, she was undoubtedly the girl who knew him best. Deep down, Qiao Qingyu found herself unable to suppress a feeling of jealousy toward Wang Mumu. This jealousy made her feel like a sinner, filled with shame.
Wang Mumu walked over, one hand gently rubbing her back, the other closing the window.
“I’m sorry, I was too direct,” Wang Mumu spoke softly. “You have a cold, don’t catch a chill again.”
“It’s fine,” Qiao Qingyu forced a smile. “Now that I’ve calmed down, I understand too. Ming Sheng is probably just acting on impulse. When you said he likes playing hero, I understood. Actually, from the beginning, I felt he only pitied me. Now he probably finds what I’m doing exciting, and he likes excitement.”
“Boys all like pursuing excitement and novelty, girls are different,” Wang Mumu’s eyes shone with sincerity. “A-Sheng used to be very well-behaved, he only started rebelling after entering high school. He’s not even sixteen yet, boys are most impulsive at this age.”
Imagining Ming Sheng looking at other girls the way he looked at her, Qiao Qingyu suddenly felt suffocated.
“Sister Mumu, why did he start fighting with others as soon as he entered high school?”
“You mean when he hit someone with a basketball in his first year?” Wang Mumu nodded. “That wasn’t fighting. People from Yi Zhong would bring troublemakers into our school every weekend to watch basketball, A-Sheng didn’t like them, so he drove them away, that’s all.”
“I feel like he became rebellious overnight.”
“Does he need to file a report about it?” Wang Mumu laughed. “In middle school, there was the pressure of the high school entrance exam. His father had high expectations for his grades. After entering high school, since he’s going to study in America anyway, and he’s even more popular now, it’s normal for his behavior to be a bit wild.”
“Study in America?”
“Yes,” Wang Mumu nodded. “A-Sheng’s parents have already paved the way. His aunt is a professor in America. Although he’s rebellious, he won’t be careless with his studies, he’s always followed his parents’ arrangements, otherwise, he wouldn’t frequently go to America to familiarize himself with the schools there and find tutors. He will settle in America. This is also why I’m advising you to stay calm—you see, we’re not from the same world as him.”
Qiao Qingyu remained silent. The rain grew heavier, and beyond the thin white gauze curtain, the world was a dim gray.
Pain brings clarity. During the time between Wang Mumu’s departure and Ming Sheng’s return, Qiao Qingyu, having regained her rationality, thought through both her emotions and reality thoroughly. Ming Sheng had said from the beginning that she was “boring”—she thought—if they spent time together day and night, it wouldn’t take long for him to discover that beneath the mystery, she was still the boring person he had initially looked down upon. Then he would grow tired, and the hardships of life away from home would quickly extinguish his enthusiasm for her. Although he complained about his parents, for some reason—Qiao Qingyu was certain—he would eventually return to the smooth path his parents had arranged for him. The reason was simple: despite causing many troubles, he had never neglected his studies.
She was different. As the faces of her family members and the looks of classmates after school started flashed before her eyes, Qiao Qingyu felt that each of them was an abyss laid before her. She had no path in Huan Prefecture; she had to leave.
There was no benefit in staying longer; she would leave later today.
Ming Sheng’s study was wide open, and from the living room sofa, one could see the desk and computer beside the bed. The lit computer desktop was extremely simple, with only the Windows default programs and a penguin icon for QQ. Qiao Qingyu walked over, just about to search for bus routes to leave Huan Prefecture, when her right hand holding the mouse froze at the sudden ring of the telephone in the living room.
“Ring ring ring ring—”
The harsh sound came from the landline beside the sofa. Moving closer, Qiao Qingyu saw an unfamiliar mobile number on the small display screen of the landline.
She naturally wouldn’t answer. Just as she was wondering if it was Ming Sheng’s parents looking for him, the ringing stopped. Just as she turned around, the landline suddenly rang loudly again.
This time the number was Ming Sheng’s.
In those few seconds of helplessness, multiple possibilities flashed through Qiao Qingyu’s mind. Was Ming Sheng calling himself? Had he dropped his phone, someone picked it up, found the number labeled “home” and wanted to return it? Or had he returned to Qinghu Ming Yuan and been discovered by his parents, and his phone had been confiscated by them?
“Ring ring ring ring—”
The urgent ringing left Qiao Qingyu at a loss, and the short minute felt like passing through a century. Just as she finally calmed down, within seconds, the phone rang for the third time.
Looking at it, it was still Ming Sheng.
This time the ring seemed more urgent than the previous two. Unable to bear it any longer, she nervously picked up the receiver.
“Qiao Qingyu?”
Ming Sheng’s voice through the handset was slightly lower than usual, creeping into her heart like a steady arrow, bursting the balloon of anxiety that had been growing inside Qiao Qingyu.
“Qiao Qingyu?”
The second call was higher in pitch, with undisguised worry. Another balloon inflated in Qiao Qingyu’s heart—one of fluttering satisfaction that could make her float.
“It’s me,” she said in a low voice. “What’s wrong?”
The slight, obviously suppressed sigh of relief from the other end made her heart tremble.
“Scared you.”
Ming Sheng sounded relaxed now, even with a hint of laughter.
Childish, Qiao Qingyu thought, though her lips curved into a smile.
“Qiao Qingyu.”
The sudden seriousness in his voice made Qiao Qingyu anxious again: “What is it?”
“Don’t leave,” Ming Sheng said each word clearly. “Wait for me to come back, understand?”